Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Take advantage of being a student.

Being a student gets you a lot of discounts that you'll no longer be able to enjoy once you complete your internship. As a student you'll have opportunities such as being an American Dietetic Association member at a much lower price, as well as possibly receiving a discount to join your local branch of the association. Seminars are also cheaper. And one of the biggest perks you'll find is access to journal articles for free through your school's library. So if there are any topics you're dying to know about, take advantage of the resources you have as a student while you can.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Nutrient analysis resources

Nutrient analysis software can be incredibly expensive. While it's not as comprehensive as most software, the USDA offers a "What's In The Foods You Eat Search Tool" that can help you get info about the nutrient composition of some basic foods. To access it, follow this link and then click on "Online. CLICK HERE to start What's In The Foods You Eat Search Tool in a new window."

Another free online resource for nutrition info is Calorie King. It has less information about what's in foods, but has more foods listed, especially commercial brands.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Keep your books and notes

While the extra money in your pocket from selling your books might be nice, having them with you as an intern will prove far more useful, if you can afford it. Your undergraduate books will be invaluable resources for information you need as an intern, and will be in a format you are familiar with, which will save you time. Your internship books won't necessarily have everything your other books had, and vice-versa.

You should also save all of the notes you took in your classes. Being able to go back and look up that obscure bit of information your professor told you that wasn't in the book can be crucial. Being an intern is a lot of work, and having as many resources available to you as possible will make things go much more smoothly.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Rotations are surprisingly short.

The rotations in your internship will likely be much shorter than you expect. Tomorrow is the last day of my current rotation, and I'm surprisingly sad that it's ending. It was a rotation that I wasn't initially completely happy with, but now that I've built relationships with the people I've been working with and the members of the community, I'm sad to go. The people you work with can make all the difference in the world, and when you abruptly reach the end of a rotation, it can be sad.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Management is part of dietetics

Dietetics requires you to know more than just nutrition. Foodservice management is a big component; you need to understand how to run a kitchen, and how to keep both the food and your employees safe. Management flows over into community as well; business plans and program development require management skills as well. And in medical nutrition therapy, if your goal is job advancement, management will likely become one of your duties as well.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Clients may truly appreciate things that you take for granted

As people in the field of dietetics, we have a tremendous amount of knowledge about food and nutrition, and often take all of that knowledge for granted. Something you may take for granted, such as being able to easily scan a nutrition facts label and immediately find the information you were looking for might be a huge accomplishment to learn for a client. I was very surprised to be thanked profusely today for a simple recipe, and for a handout on how to estimate portion sizes using common household objects. These are things I did not consider remarkable, and that are basic knowledge for me, but to the person who I gave this information it was tremendously helpful. Don't underestimate just how valuable even your basic knowledge is.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Helpful online tool for research papers

One of my favorite, most used websites when writing research papers is Son of Citation Machine. This website is a great time saver when you need to cite many sources in a paper, as it helps you format almost any type of citation.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Public speaking

Dietetics, especially community dietetics, involves a lot of public speaking. Working with a community population, it's often not cost effective for a dietitian (or intern, or volunteer) to work with people one on one. Group sessions, which involve speaking to many people at the same time, are a cost and time effective way of dispensing nutrition education to a community. So if you're the type of person who becomes very uncomfortable any time they have to give a presentation, be prepared to have to do many, many presentations during an internship. All of the presentations and talks you do during your undergraduate and volunteer work, such as powerpoint presentations, teaching demonstrations, speeches and group lessons will help better prepare you for work during the community rotation of an internship. While I was nervous presenting a talk on calcium to 70 people, due to all of the experience I've had presenting I was able to speak confidently in a daunting setting. So take advantage of your speech classes, your nutrition education and communication classes, and every presentation you have to do in school. They will all serve as good practice for being an intern.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Volunteering: Aim for clinical hours

Even if you want to be a community or foodservice dietitian, if you're aiming for an internship clinical (hospital work, or work with patients related to medical nutrition therapy) volunteer or work hours are valued very heavily. This is something I had recommended to me strongly, and one of my biggest regrets from my undergraduate time is not getting clinical experience, in addition to the community and foodservice experience I had.

To get clinical experience, you will likely need to plan ahead. When looking for short term volunteer opportunities I was turned down by two hospitals because I was unable to commit six months or longer to be a volunteer at their facility. So the sooner you look into getting clinical experience the better.

One of the main reasons clinical experience is valued was told to me directly by the director of an internship program: internships want you to have been exposed to a setting in which you worked with ill patients. An internship program does not want to have you quit half way through because you decided you were uncomfortable working with sick people.

While a variety of volunteer and work experience is good, do your best to make getting clinical experience a priority.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

You learn a lot from the people you work with.

Learning doesn't come just from textbooks and lectures. Working in the field, with actual people, be it as a volunteer, intern or employee, can teach you a lot.

Working at Camp Setebaid with kids with type one diabetes helped me gain a better understanding of just what it's like for someone to live with type one diabetes; an understanding I couldn't get from reading my medical nutrition therapy textbook. The amount of time and effort it took on behalf of the counselors, counselors in training, doctors and dietetic staff to help the kids manage their diabetes was staggering. And the amount of effort the kids themselves put in was monumental as well. These kids, as young as eight, worked so hard to carb count, adjust their insulin and adapt to what their blood sugar was, all while enjoying camp to the fullest. And getting to be a part of it gave me a much greater appreciation of just how strong these kids are.

I couldn't have had that experience without the kids I got to help at camp. The kids I worked with and helped teach taught me things a textbook never could. And that is part of why volunteering and doing an internship are considered so important to the dietetic profession; they teach you things you wouldn't otherwise learn.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Gone Camping

Starting tomorrow I'll be interning at Camp Setebaid. So no posts to come until next weekend!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Internship rotations can be surprising

Just because an internship is typically made up of community, foodservice and medical nutrition therapy doesn't necessarily mean you'll simply be doing three rotations at three sites. Be prepared to have rotations be split up, to be sent on "field trips" to see other interns' sites, and for lots of other things that may be thrown at you. Perhaps my most surprising rotation is the one I'll be doing next week: interning at a camp for kids with type one diabetes. It's a part of my community rotation that I couldn't have even imagined a year ago. So be aware that your internship may have many twists and turns throughout the course of it.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Portfolio: Keep copies of everything

Creating a portfolio is required by some dietetics classes, and having a portfolio containing copies of the work you've done is a valuable asset for the future. But the more time you spend in school, the easier it is to lose track of past work and end up with a sparse portfolio despite all of the work you've done.

One regret many people have as they progress through their undergraduate education is that they lose track of the work they did during previous semesters and when volunteering in the past. So as soon as possible, start keeping copies, particularly electronic copies, of all of your school work, regardless of the subject. An English paper you wrote might just cover the "term paper" requirement needed when submitting your portfolio to your instructor.

Your past work will serve not only as valuable examples to include in your portfolio, but can also be useful in the future. A handout about sodium I created during my undergraduate work only needed minor tweaking before I was able to hand it out to the population I'm working with in my community rotation. I saved myself a lot of work by keeping an electronic copy of that handout, instead of having to do the same work again to make a new handout.

All of your past work will serve you well in the future, so be sure to keep copies of it for when the need arises.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Study to know and understand.

While grades are important, as an undergraduate it's important to study not only to get good grades, but also to know and understand the material. When you're an intern the people you work with will throw tons of questions at you, including ones you could never have thought you would be asked. This is where it's so important to understand all of the aspects of your DPD classes. A coworker might ask you at lunch if he should be eating carbs after a workout, in addition to the protein supplement he already takes. And a community member attending a class you are teaching might ask what exactly an amino acid is, and how it's different from the acid in fruits. And the better you know your stuff, the more easily you'll be able to answer their questions.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Keep your social support intact.

Starting an internship is a major life change. It's the beginning of a shift from being a student, to being an employee. Even if you intern at the same school where you completed your undergrad work, and especially if you intern in a new place, having social support is important. Being a dietetic intern is hard work, and it's important to temper that hard work with fun and social activities too. So keep in contact with your undergraduate colleagues, your teachers, your mentors, and the people you volunteered with. Call or e-mail them and let them know how you're doing. Your friends and family will be happy to hear how you are doing, and it'll help give you a break and some peace of mind as you adjust to being an intern.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Have a back up plan

Try not to just pay lip service to it. I talked a fair amount about the different options I had if I didn't get an internship, but despite that I really did not have a back up plan. I knew that I had options, but I had no idea what direction I would go, after not matching. Even if it's as simple as deciding to apply again in half a year after not matching, knowing a specific direction to go if you don't match may help you better use your time before applying again.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Writing your personal statement/application letter: get as many opinions as possible

When preparing your personal statement/application letter (different programs have different names for what is essentially the same thing; I'm going to be calling it "personal statement" from here on) the more opinions and advice you can get on how to improve it the better. This is one instance where you may not have to worry about too many cooks in the kitchen, provided you remain the chef in charge.

The sooner you begin working on your personal statement, the more different opinions you can get on it. There are many, many sources of advice you can look to, as well. Ask your family, your teachers, your adviser(s), your mentor(s), your career center, and anyone else you can think of. Each person you ask will have a different opinion to give you, and will present you more opportunities to make your personal statement better. You will note that I did not include friends in the initial list, because this is an area where you may want to be wary. Friends who are your competition for an internship position have the potential to give you bad advice, in hopes of improving their own chances. While true friends will give you good advice, this is a time to evaluate just how close you are to your fellow students.

In addition to receiving advice on how to make improvements to your personal statement, each time someone reviews it for you you will end up looking at it again. Each time you look at your personal statement is a chance to catch something you missed before, and to be inspired to add something new. Keep looking at and revising your personal statement, even if you don't have a large pool of people to give you advice.

While reviewing your personal statement several times is beneficial, you should also realize that it will be very difficult to ever be 100% happy with it. What's important is to realize that your personal statement doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be the best you can reasonably make it before you send off your application(s). Don't drive yourself insane trying to make it perfect.

Both you and members of your social support system should review your personal statement several times. But do so within reason, so that you have time to spend on the other parts of your application as well.

Friday, July 30, 2010

After applying: prepare to be interviewed

Not all internship programs interview applicants, and they may only interview the applicants they're interested in, but being prepared for an interview can help you be successful if you get the opportunity.

Internship interviews may be in person, but often they'll be over the phone, so that applicants aren't forced to travel. And phone interviews have one major advantage: you can use notes. You should treat a phone interview like an open book test, and if there's any information you don't want to forget to cover, make sure you have it on hand to look at during the interview.

A good way of preparing for an interview that you can do on your own is answering interview questions before the interview. You can find plenty of practice interview questions through an online search. While you may finding very generic job interview questions, these can still be asked in an interview for an internship, and several were asked when I did my interviews. Using these questions, you can practice answering, and even write out answers to these questions. If you practice this way, you won't be left surprised by a generic interview question, and won't have to waste time trying to come up with an answer on the fly.

Another option for preparing for an interview is to actually practice interviewing. Some schools offer a service that will let you hold a practice interview with trained faculty, and there are businesses out there that offer the same thing. This may be more time consuming, and more costly, but if you're someone who had great difficulty interviewing, or becomes very anxious, you might benefit from this type of practice.

Being prepared for an interview can help you be more successful during one if that's what's required by the program(s) you apply to. Don't be afraid to use notes during a phone interview!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

As an intern: be flexible

Being flexible as an intern is really invaluable. You may get a rotation that isn't your cup of tea and have to find unique ways to make it a good experience, or you may have to deal with a client in a way you hadn't thought you would need to.

A surprising experience in flexibility I had came when teaching a label reading class. One of the attendees in the class put up a barrier to participating when given a diet soda can to read the label on. She was unwilling to even look at the can, regardless of it being diet or not, because she didn't drink soda. Being flexible and swapping the can for a different food label for her to read allowed her to participate in the activity, even though it wasn't in the way I had intended. And by being flexible about letting her read a different label, I learned a good lesson: when teaching someone about reading a nutrition label it's important to have multiple examples.

Even if things don't go the way you expect them to, as a dietetic intern, undergrad, practitioner, or just in your daily life, being flexible can help open doors you didn't even know existed.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Join the American Dietetic Association

Joining the American Dietetic Association (ADA) early into your dietetics education can really benefit you. For applying to an internship, some programs ask that candidates be an ADA member, and even for those internships that don't, being an ADA member for a longer time shows your dedication to dietetics better than joining the association at the last minute. And when it comes to academics, receiving the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, which is one of the perks of membership, will help you have the latest developments in the field at your fingertips when doing projects. Joining the ADA isn't necessarily the largest step you can take to become a better internship candidate, but every step counts, even the small ones.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Become a chemist: why chemistry is so important to dietetics

Chemistry is an often complained about part of dietetics, but building a good chemistry foundation as an undergraduate will really benefit you in the long run, and in applying for an internship. Just like an amino acids is a building block of a protein, chemistry is a building block of dietetics.

As you progress in your dietetic education, chemistry is a subject that will pop up again and again. When you get to advanced nutrition a foundational understanding of how oxidation and reduction reactions work can help you better see how vitamin C acts as an antioxidant. And when you come to diabetes and medical nutrition therapy, knowing how buffers work will help you understanding how a type 1 diabetic who is breathing heavily may not have taken enough insulin, resulting in diabetic ketoacidosis.

Several internship programs request a science GPA. Chemistry may make up three or more of the classes included in this GPA, and when this GPA can be made up by as few as eight classes, that is a huge proportion. Your chemistry classes will also make up part of your DPD (dietetics coursework) GPA, and your overall GPA. For internships that value grades highly, chemistry can have a big impact on your chances of being chosen as an intern.

Taking chemistry seriously, and applying yourself earnestly in your chemistry classes will help you better understand the complexities of nutrition, and may help improve your chances of becoming a dietetic intern. So while it may be a very difficult subject, chemistry is worth dedicating as much effort as possible to.

Source(s): Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice. (2009)., Gropper, S.S., Smith, J.L., & Groff, J.L. (2009). Advanced nutrition and human metabolism. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning., Nelms, M, Sucher, K, & Long, S. (2007). Nutrition therapy and pathophysiology. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Join your school's Student Dietetic Association

Joining your school's Student Dietetic Association (SDA), or equivalent of a different name, is a great way to help make yourself a more competitive candidate for an internship. Being a member of your school's SDA is a wonderful thing to include on your resume, and offers many benefits in addition to that.

By being an active member you'll have the opportunity to gain volunteer experience in area(s) you may not have otherwise been able to. And this will give you even more experiences to draw from when writing your personal statement(s)/application letter(s).

You'll also have the opportunity to meet a lot of people. You'll be able to meet fellow students, who could become class project partners and study group members in the near future, and friends and colleagues in the long term. And if you actively participate in SDA activities you may have the opportunity to meet people already working in the field of dietetics, who could provide you with valuable insight or maybe even a letter of recommendation.

If your school doesn't have a Student Dietetic Association or similar nutrition related club, founding one yourself is a great opportunity as well! This shows potential internships your ingenuity and dedication. And by founding the SDA yourself you'll be able to give both yourself and your classmates the opportunities described above.

Your school's Student Dietetic Association is a fun way to connect with your peers and find additional volunteer opportunities.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Choosing where to apply: be open minded.

While staying where you live now, and especially doing an internship at the school where you are completing or completed your undergraduate degree is probably the most preferable for many people, being open minded about where to intern has many benefits as well.

One good piece of advice my undergraduate program director gave me was: apply to at least one program out of state. This was likely because California is a state where many of the internships have a huge amount of competition for openings. Even if you are a very competitive applicant, rather than endure the scramble, making an out of state or at least less competitive program your fifth or last choice is not a bad idea. If your current situation allows you the flexibility to move, especially out of state, take advantage of that flexibility, as moving to do an internship may not always be an option (a lot can change in 6 months or a year).

A distance internship is a great option for those who don't have the opportunity or willingness to move a far distance. The primary disadvantage of applying to a distance internship is that you have to set up your own rotations. And if you don't have a good network of people to act as preceptors (people who supervise you while you work as an intern) or to help you meet people who could be a preceptor, a distance internship may not be a viable option. The secondary disadvantage is the possibility of not matching after going through a tremendous amount of effort to find preceptors and arrange your rotations. However, you aren't limited to applying to just one distance internship program. If you go through the time and effort to arrange your rotations, you can apply to several distance programs with those same rotations. Distance internships may also have openings in the scramble, and several did during the spring 2009 matching period.

Internships beyond your comfort zone may also offer unique benefits you couldn't find close to home. You may find a combined internship and masters degree program, like I found at Marywood University. An internship with a stipend to help your financial situation could present itself, such as a military internship like the U.S. Military Dietetic Internship Consortium - Army program. Or you could find a very short internship, like the University of Houston one, which would only take you away from home for 27 weeks.

The internship closest to you isn't the only option out there for becoming a Registered Dietitian. So when choosing where to apply look outside of your immediate area and you may end up pleasantly surprised by what you find.

Source(s): Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice. (2009)., D & D Digital. (2007). D & d digital. Retrieved from http://www.dnddigital.com/

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Pariticipating in the scramble: time is of the essence.

Not only should you prepare for the scramble by gathering the materials you'll need, you can also prepare by knowing what may take place on the day of. In particular, you'll want to be aware of time in relation to your time zone and when D&D Digital publishes the list of internships with openings.

The scramble doesn't start when you wake up in the morning on the day the list is released. It starts as soon as matches are announced. Those internship programs that did not fill all their spots may begin sending notifications out to undergraduate program directors right away, letting them know that spots are open. If your program director doesn't send out e-mails to students regularly, or if you have already graduated and no longer receive such e-mails, get in contact with him/her and ask to have it passed along to you if he/she is informed by any programs that they have openings. The sooner you know about some of the programs with openings, the sooner you can start researching them and decide whether or not you will want to apply come scramble day.

Another key time is midnight, in D&D Digital's time zone, on the day of the scramble. This is when the list of internship programs with open spots is released. While you may not want to be sending out applications at this point in time, if it's not too late in your time zone this is a good opportunity to begin looking at the open programs. The sooner you can start looking at programs the sooner you can begin deciding which you may want to send applications to, and which you want to rule out.

Though you may want to check out D&D Digital's list of programs with openings at midnight, you should also plan to wake up early. Getting some rest and waking up early, rather than staying up all night, may help you feel more alert, and better able to make good decisions.

The morning of the scramble is a key time to consider what time zone you are in. This is because some programs look at applications in the order they receive them, and once they have found enough qualified applicants, they may stop looking at any more applications. If you're on the east coast this is to your advantage, but if you're on the west coast it may be a disadvantage. This is where people who live on the west coast may benefit from reviewing open programs the night before, so that they won't be missing out on valuable time because of the time difference.

Because some internships look at applications in the order they receive them, prioritize sending applications out based on where you would most like to be accepted. If a program is your first choice of the ones that are open, work on customizing your generic e-mail that I talked about in yesterday's post for their program first. Sending out a generic e-mail to every open program will likely be less effective than sending a personalized one to the programs you feel are the most desirable. So plan for time to personalize e-mails after researching the open programs.

Preparing materials and planning your time can help you be more successful in the scramble. Be prepared to dedicate as much time as you have available, as doing so may increase your chances of successfully gaining an open internship spot.

Source(s): D & D Digital. (2007). D & d digital. Retrieved from http://www.dnddigital.com/

Friday, July 23, 2010

The scramble: be aware and be prepared.

The scramble is is an opportunity for internship hopefuls who did not receive a match to send applications to internship programs that did not fill all of their spots. It's a second chance to apply to internships you may have not considered before. And while participating in the scramble is something to look forward to, preparing for the possibility ahead of time will make it much less painful if you don't match, and decide to participate in the scramble as a result.

The scramble takes place three days after notification day. What happens is a list of programs with openings available after the initial matching is released. Potential interns can then contact those programs directly, to try to join their program. The list can be found on the D&D Digital site, on the left side titled something along the lines of "Fall 2010 Programs With Openings." This page, before the programs are listed, will inform you when the listings will become available. It is important to note that the list of available programs will be posted at midnight D&D Digital's time, so if possible, plan to begin looking at the list then, and not the morning of.

Because only about half of all internship applicants match, even if you believe you are highly qualified and very likely to match, preparing for the scramble before notification day is a good idea. While you may have a couple days between notification day and the scramble, many people who do not match will be very distraught at this time, and being prepared before this time may lower your stress.

The following is a list of things to do, many of which were recommended by my undergraduate program director, to prepare before notification day.

- Prepare digital copies of all of the application materials you have. This includes things like your application form, a general application letter/personal statement, unofficial transcript(s), and resume. If possible, turn these into pdf files, as e-mailing word documents may change formatting.

- Prepare a generic e-mail that you can edit, requesting the chance to apply for an internship. DO NOT send this generic e-mail! Once you have determined which programs with openings you will be applying to in the scramble, you will need to personalize this generic e-mail as much as possible in the small amount of time you have.

- In this e-mail, you should include that you have attached digital copies of the files listed above, and note that if they need a copy of your letters of recommendation that you can obtain new copies of them for the program in question as soon as possible.

- Let the people who are writing your letters of recommendation know as soon as you find out you were not matched, that you may need new copies of their letters for the scramble. That way you truly will be able to send them "as soon as possible."

- Try to get your hands on a copy of the Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice for the scramble. An electronic copy in particular may be useful, as if it's a text/pdf file you can use the search function to look up internships, instead of flipping through pages. This may give you more information than looking on the program's website will.

- Block off your entire day (or at least the first half of it) to do nothing but take part in the scramble. If you have class, try to get the notes ahead of time or from someone else.

- Ask people in your support system, your family and friends, to come help you on the day of the scramble. You don't have to go through the scramble alone, and more eyes will allow you to look through all of the potential programs more quickly. Emphasize to them just how important this is to you, and if possible, ask them to block off their calendar for you even before notification day. If you don't end up having to go through the scramble, you could always use this time to celebrate instead!

- You'll likely be monopolizing computer and internet on the day of the scramble. You'll need internet access to research programs where you may want to apply, and to send out applications by e-mail. And if you have an electronic copy of the Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice, you'll want access to that as well.

- You'll also want to monopolize the phone. You'll want to have the phone line free all day, so that if a program you apply to you is interested, you will be able to receive their call. So if you've got roommates or family at home, this is further reason to involve them in the scramble with you, so that they aren't interfering with your ability to be contacted. While it may be tempting to only list your cellphone line to receive calls, a dropped call could be disastrous, so if you have access to a land line, that may be the better choice on scramble day.

- Try to get access to a fax machine. Some internships may specify that they want your application and/or materials sent by fax, so if you have a friend who owns one, ask to borrow it. If you can't borrow one, make sure you know the location of the closest place you can pay to send a fax from, such as Kinko's.

I was able to successfully obtain an internship spot in the scramble because I was prepared for it and because my family helped me get decide which programs to apply to. Being thoroughly prepared for the scramble is tantamount to being successful in it, and doing so as soon as possible, even before you find out if you match or not, will help make it less painful.

Source(s): D & D Digital. (2007). D & d digital. Retrieved from http://www.dnddigital.com/

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Take the GRE

Taking yet another test as a student can be very unappealing. Many dietetics students are already incredibly busy with a demanding class and/or volunteer/work schedule, and fitting the GRE in is no small task. But not doing so may severely limit the internships you'll be able to apply to.

For example, in California, if you choose not to take the GRE you won't be eligible to apply to 6 of the available internships. And in Pennsylvania 3 internships won't be an option. While this isn't the majority of internships, having more options of where to apply may increase your chances of matching successfully.

Another place where taking the GRE will be a feather in your cap is in the scramble. The scramble takes place three days after notification day, when potential interns are informed if they were matched to an internship program or not. If you are not matched, you can participate in the scramble and contact programs that did not fill all of their slots, in an attempt to match that way. Having taken the GRE before this point will give you the chance to contact a greater number of programs during the scramble, because without it you will not be qualified for some of the internships with openings.

Because of how busy your senior year as an undergraduate student may be, look into taking the GRE before then if possible. The summer or winter break before your senior year is a good opportunity to not only study for the GRE (if you need to; you can borrow books to study from from your local library), but also to take it without interfering with your normal school year schedule.

The GRE is not a fun test, but taking it is worthwhile if you're able to do so. Being able to apply to a greater variety of internships by taking the GRE may help improve your chances of being matched.

Source(s): Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice. (2009)., D & D Digital. (2007). D & d digital. Retrieved from http://www.dnddigital.com/

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice

Something I am going to reference often here, the Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice is an amazing source for not only choosing where to apply for an internship, but also for information that can help you tailor your application to the schools where you're applying.

My undergraduate program director supplied all dietetics students with a digital copy of this guide, but other directors may not do the same. If the guide isn't posted online in your program, ask your director where you can find it. Some may only have a physical copy, so taking a look at it before application time could be in your best interests, to ensure you have ample time to get all of the information you need.

A page of the Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice looks like:


Some highlights to check out are:

- Program type at the very top: If you're looking for or to avoid a master's degree, this will be one of the first places you may want to look.

- Starting month and program length: Programs can be as brief as 6 months, or longer than a year, and start at a wide variety of times. If you're going to have time constraints, this is crucial info.

- Number of openings versus number of applicants: This is a great way to gauge how competitive entry into an internship is. If there are only a few spots and over 100 applicants, that internship is likely in very high demand.

- Concentration: If you don't want to unknowingly do an internship in an area like Alaskan Native Culture, for example, make sure a program's concentration aligns with the type of education you want.

- Costs and benefits: Internships can be expensive. This spot will give you an indication of how much an internship may cost, and if it's one of the few programs that offer a stipend.

- Admission requirements: This is a big one. The sooner you get this information, the more time you'll have to prepare to meet those requirements. Crucial info to look out for here: GPA, GRE and work/volunteer experience.

- Evaluation of applicants: This is the area I mentioned yesterday. Internships rank what they place the most value on here. For example, if you have little volunteer experience and a program ranks that #1, you may want to reconsider how good your odds of matching are.

- Application due date: Most programs require applications postmarked by the D&D Digital due date, but some have different requirements. If you don't check this you could accidentally send your application in late.

If knowledge is power, the Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice can help strengthen your chances of successfully being matched to an internship. You can use the guide to improve your chances of being accepted to a program, and to decide which program(s) to apply to.

Source(s): Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice. (2009).

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Volunteer

If I could give just one piece of advice to someone starting out as a dietetics student it would be this: volunteer as soon and as much as possible.

One of my biggest regrets from being an undergraduate dietetics student is not starting volunteering as soon as I decided on my major. Volunteer work, or work experience if you are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work in the field, is a key component of an internship application that is looked at by programs. In Pennsylvania in 2009, 7 of 15 internship programs ranked volunteer experience as one of their top five criteria when evaluating applicants, and in California 14 of 27 programs valued it in their top five as well. Other internships in both states value volunteer experience as well, though not as highly("Applicant Guide to," 2009).

Volunteer work is a great way to display your dedication to the field of dietetics, and when filling out your application form is something you will be asked to list and describe (Dietetic Educators of Practitioners, 2004). Additionally, volunteer work is a great topic to write about in your application letter/personal statement, and can lead to meeting people who you may want to ask to write you letters of recommendation.

More than just experience in the field, volunteering is valued highly by many internship programs, and may help make your application process go smoother, easing the pain of writing an application letter or finding someone to write a letter of recommendation.

Source(s): Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice. (2009)., Dietetic Educators of Practitioners (2004). Dietetic internship program application form. Retrieved from http://www.depdpg.org/index_580.cfm

Monday, July 19, 2010

Becoming a dietetic intern is not a given.

When I first started thinking about majoring in dietetics, I never even considered that I might not be able to become a registered dietitian (RD). I heard about the major and the profession from RD's, and in their glowing reviews they didn't talk about at how hard getting an internship really is.

According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), in the April 2009 only 50% of applicants were matched for an internship (Wilson, 2010). That means half of the people who want to become an RD each year will have the opportunity, whether they're qualified or not. And that number does not reflect those who have or are receiving a B.S. in nutrition/dietetics and don't apply. Many of the internship applicants who were not matched to an internship this year will apply next year, poised with an additional year of experience, making the competition even stiffer for new graduates.

From the ADA Times Winter 2010 Issue: Supply and Demand for Dietetic Internships Since 1993

Getting an internship is hard. Unless you're in a coordinated program, no one is guaranteed a spot. Your competition will be fierce, and each year it is getting more savage. So take your education seriously, and be prepared to do everything you can to improve your chances. Don't expect getting an internship to be easy, but do expect it to be worth the hard work.

Source(s):Wilson, A. (2010). Creating our competition: why the dietetics internship shortage is as important to your future as it is to the practitioners of tomorrow. ADA Times, 7(2), 12-13.